The last retreat I offered was recorded, and the two talks can be found here. We had a beautiful day near the ocean in Westerly, RI--a day that included Holy Mass, Confession, the Rosary, and a luncheon. I am now setting up the calendar for the coming year (Sept 2013-May 2014) and would love to come and talk to your parish, your diocesan women's guild, your school, or your book club. For more information, see my site and see if this would be a good fit for the women you know! Continue reading

I'll reproduce this piece here, because the sidebars of the Daily Mail are vulgar and distracting: The world's first geneticallymodified humans have been created, it was revealed last night. The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics. So far, two of the babies have been tested and have been found to contain genes from three 'parents'. Fifteen of the children were born in the past three years as a result of one experimental programme at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey. The babies were born to women who had problems conceiving. Extra genes from a female donor were inserted into their eggs before they were fertilised in an attempt to enable them to conceive. Genetic fingerprint tests on two one-year- old children confirm that they have inherited DNA from three adults --two women and one man. The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their 'germline' means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring. Altering the human germline - in effect tinkering with the... Continue reading

Noni Darwish, a Christian woman who has written extensively on how Islam harms women based on her experience of growing up in Egypt, has written an interesting piece on how the push for redefining marriage can find in Islam a cautionary tale: Islam's definition of marriage is one man and up to four women where loyalty in the marriage is required only from the woman towards the man, but not necessarily from the man towards the woman. In the Egyptian Muslim marriage contract, the groom is asked to give name and address of wife number one, two and three, if any. It is as easy for a Muslim man to legally have a second, third or fourth wife as it was for him to have his first. It is true that the majority of Muslim men choose to have one wife, but the mere existence of a law that does not restrict men to one wife has had devastating consequences on the healthy functioning of the family unit, balance of power in the marriage, women's rights and self esteem, children security, gender segregation in the society as a whole and how a man and woman relate to one another. I... Continue reading

Bruce Thornton has written an excellent [biting!] summary of modern feminism, including this nugget: The feminism that has burrowed into the women’s studies caves in colleges and universities is something else: a species of progressive identity politics predicated on perpetual victimhood as a means for extorting more social and political clout. As such it represents a narrow spectrum of women across the world, those privileged enough to take for granted the improvements in science and technology, the economic growth created by capitalism, and the access to education that have liberated women from the tyranny of nature and the oppression of illiberal cultures. These so-called feminists, the richest and most comfortable women who ever walked the earth, have created a new-age cult focused on wacky fads like Wicca or romantic environmentalism, issues of concern only to the well-fed who have the luxury of taking seriously such claptrap. And like most cults, it is humorless, intolerant, conformist, illiberal, and lustful for the power needed to indulge the totalitarian impulse to silence the infidels and impose orthodoxy. In their gospel, the only “choices” women have are to abort babies, hate men, despise conservative or religious women, and incessantly bite the liberal-capitalist hand that... Continue reading

According to Wikileaks, that is how American diplomats assessed the "Iron Lady" back in the mid-1970's (as well as "frightfully British"), but she proved to be so much more. The family announced that she has just gone on to her eternal reward: • Margaret Thatcher dies: coverage in full Margaret Thatcher's journey from Grantham grocer’s daughter to 10 Downing Street was not quite without parallel — her predecessor, Ted Heath, started from if anything more humble origins — but her achievement over 11 years once she reached the highest office left most of her fellow prime ministers way behind. After winning a scholarship to Oxford, where she read chemistry, Margaret Roberts became fascinated by politics. Her father, who had been a councillor in Grantham, had certainly inspired her, and she determined to try to secure a candidacy to be a Conservative MP. Her two attempts in the safe Labour seat of Dartford in the 1950 and 1951 elections were unsuccessful, though she made a name for herself as a doughty fighter with a bright future. The other bonus of her time in Dartford was that she met and married her future husband, Denis Thatcher, who had taken over and was... Continue reading

I'll be on Relevant Radio Monday at 2pm EST (1pm Central) talking to Wendy Wiese about forgiveness. Link here (and they have an app for smart people/phones, etc.) Continue reading

In his Wednesday audience this week, the catechesis of Pope Frances focused on the women who went to the tomb that first Easter: “He rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures.” Our belief in Christ’s Resurrection is the very heart of our faith, the basis of our hope in God’s promises and our trust in his victory over sin and death. The first witnesses of the Resurrection were women: moved by love to go to the tomb, they accept with joy the message of the Resurrection and then tell the good news to the Apostles. So it must be with us; we need to share the joy born of our faith in the Resurrection! First, we note that the first witnesses to this event were the women. At dawn, they go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, and find the first sign: the empty tomb (Mk 16:1). This is followed by an encounter with a Messenger of God who proclaims: Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, he is not here, he is risen (cf. vv. 5-6). The women are driven by love and know how to accept this proclamation with faith: they believe,... Continue reading

The sorrow laden heavenly Queen, Bent, trembling 'neath her grief, is seen To draw anigh where fell, like foss, From wounds the blood adown the cross. The angel voice, which erst addressed The May, did her with joy invest, With joy she bore the Savior blest, And her Son born in swathing dressed, And dressed with her him ever led, And led on cross his arms he spread. Amid her tears the bitter sword Of sorrow struck her, when the Lord, Her only Son, on cross was hung, Thereto with four sharp nails was stung: From whetted spikes his arms do burn, With agonies his breast is torn; Through these dread sufferings must they go The Holy Twain to heal our woe. [From a 14th century Icelandic poem by Brother Etsteinn Asgrimsson] Continue reading

We've just completed our first 24hr period with the new Pontiff, and the dust is settling somewhat. I've written two reflections: the first is a short piece at Catholic Lane, which elucidates the very first homily -- the one on the balcony that hardly relied on words; the second is at my main site, and is a wry piece on how he's already set up house in my own head (that's a good thing!) I don't know that he will offer any specifics on authentic femininity, but he is already shaking things up with his decades of witness to the dignity of the poor. That's a lesson we can all study. God is very good, and we will no doubt see the wisdom of this choice as the months unfold. Pray for Papa, and share the joy with those around you. We are privileged to live here and now, and have just come through an amazing fortnight in our faith! Continue reading

This afternoon (Thursday) I'll be Wendy Wiese's guest on Relevant Radio. Her show airs 1-2pm Central Time (that's 2-3pm on the East Coast). I'll put up a link to the audio when it's available in case you miss it. UPDATE: here is the link to the show. Also, just a reminder that I will be the keynote speaker at Duluth's Women's conference this coming weekend, March 9th. Information is here, which will take you to a registration page if you're in region of Minnesota or Wisconsin. Please join us! Continue reading

Dr Evelyn Billings, wife and partner of Dr John Billings, who founded the World Organization Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB) in order to help women to understand and manage their fertility naturally, has died at the age of 95. Her book, The Billings Method, was first published in 1980, and has been translated into 22 languages. From LifeSiteNews: For half a century the Billings traveled the world teaching and promoting their method in faithfulness to Pope Paul VI’s call to “men (and women) of science (and) physicians (to) be obedient to the Lord’s call and to act as faithful interpreters of His plan.” In 2003, Pope John Paul II made Dr. Lyn a Dame Commander of St. Gregory the Great in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the Billings Ovulation Method. She was an active member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. She was recognized with Honorary Doctorates from universities around the world including an Honoris Causa Degree from Tor Vergata University in Rome in 2005. In 2002, Drs. John and Evelyn Billings were jointly declared International Catholic Physicians of the Year by the International Catholic Federation of Medical Associations. Joan Clements, Director of WOOMB International Ltd., noted that "couples in... Continue reading

I have written often about the feminine vocation to prayer--especially our call to pray for priests. It is a priviledged dimension of our motherhood to support others through prayer and sacrifice, and to this end we should consider participating in this apostolate. (If it doesn't already exist in your diocese, perhaps you are called to create it.) That said, the Holy Father has benefited by prayers of these fine women, one of whom recently spoke* of her vocation: One of the seven cloistered nuns who until last October lived in the Mater Ecclesiae ("Mother of the Church") convent in the Vatican gardens, where Pope Benedict will live after his two months at Castel Gandolfo, has given an interesting interview to Vatican Radio. The nuns were all Spanish except for one Italian, Sister Maria Francesca. This is what she had to say about living in the Vatican Gardens: "E’ stata un’esperienza unica, ed è un’esperienza di quelle per cui uno comincia a misurare la vita da 'prima' di questo e 'dopo' questo. Quello che l’ha caratterizzata è stata essenzialmente la presenza del Santo Padre, cioè questa vita data e offerta per lui con una vicinanza, tra l’altro, fisica: la posizione del... Continue reading

Evidently there's a monstrous taboo facing women (even now, in 2013) concerning child-bearing, and those who choose not to have kids still must explain themselves. So says Helen Mirren in a Telegraph interview that has great merit for other reasons. First Mirren: When a woman reaches a certain age, she is expected to start thinking about having children. If she doesn’t, society demands an answer. But why doesn’t she have children, people will whisper. Isn’t she able to have children? Doesn’t she want children? In the past, Mirren has answered with defiance. “I have no maternal instinct whatsoever,” she once said. “Motherhood holds no interest for me.” In her latest interview, however, Mirren, who has been married for 15 years, admits that she always expected to be a mother. “It was not my destiny,” she says. “I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but it never did, and I didn’t care what people thought.” Women, she adds, never gave her a hard time: “it was only boring old men. And whenever they went 'What? No children? Well, you’d better get on with it, old girl,’ I’d say 'No! F--- off!’” OK, so some old men from... Continue reading

Just before the Super Bowl: WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says he would have no hesitation ordering women into combat and explained that, as a practical matter, they're already serving that role. Obama, who spoke with CBS shortly before Sunday's Super Bowl game, was asked about the recent order ending the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat. Obama said women soldiers are already vulnerable to attack and they've been wounded and killed carrying out their jobs. He said they are taking great risks should not be prevented from advancing in their careers. Parse that. And understand his world view. He is a man who wouldn't interfere if it came to killing his unborn grandchildren, and he'd send his daughters (and yours) to die -- if it could advance their chosen career. But then, if he had a son: President Barack Obama says he's a football fan but that if he had a son, considering the impact the game has on its players, he would think long and hard before allowing his son to play. It's mind boggling where "choice" leads. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/03/3215251/obama-says-he-wont-hesitate-on.html#storylink=cpy Continue reading

Another horrific story emblematic of a widespread problem in Egypt. Mary Abdelmassih writes: (AINA) -- Hundreds of Christian Egyptian girls having been abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry Muslim men since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. But the case of 14 year old Sarah has become symbolic, bringing to confrontation Muslims groups, whose members are implicated in the kidnappings, and the Coptic Church and human rights organizations. On Sunday, September 30 Sarah Ishaq Abdelmalek, born on August 1, 1998 in the town of el-Dabaa, 130 kilometers from Mersa Matrouh, was on her way to school with her cousin Miriam, when they stopped at a bookshop. Miriam went ahead of Sarah to school, leaving Sarah behind. Sarah never made it to school and no one has seen her since then. Her father was hesitant at first to contact the authorities for fear of harm to his family and his other children by the Salafi Muslims, who have a large presence and influence in Mersa Matrouh and Alexandria. He finally filed a report with the police on October 20, accusing 27 year old bookshop keeper and Salafist Mahmoud Abu Zied Abdel Gawwad, a married man and father of children, of... Continue reading

Not only is it wonderful that Notre Dame Cathedral is getting new bells, but it's more wonderful that the event is greeted so warmly by the citizens of Paris: Driven through the streets of Paris with a police motorcycle escort, nine new bells arrived at the Notre Dame Cathedral on Thursday to be installed for the landmark's 850th anniversary. The bells, named Dame de Paris (lady of Paris) Maurice, Gabriel, Anne-Geneviève, Benôit-Joseph, Jean Marie, Etienne, Marcel, Marie and finally Dennis, were given a warm welcome as they were delivered to the iconic cathedral in the heart of Paris. Hundreds lined the streets to watch them be carried on two trucks to the famous landmark, where they were greeted by gathered crowds to the sounds of its old bells ringing. Four of the old bells, in place since 1856, had deteriorated because of the low-quality metals used, rendering them out of key with the main tenor bell, Emmanuel, considered one of the finest examples in Europe. The nine new bells will be installed overnight Friday and on display for a month from Saturday, before they will be rung for the first time on March 23 to mark the beginning of the... Continue reading

Chinese culture is still suffering from the upheavals of the imbalance of the sexes, the changes in women's lives (from chattel to career girls), and the expectations of families. All that comes to a head when millions of women head home for their New Year's visit: Because so many Chinese live and work away from their native towns and villages, and travel home only once a year, the treasured family time is weighted with pressure to show what you’ve accomplished over the last 12 months. For many young women, showing up at home with a pleasant-looking, well-behaved boyfriend – even if your family never sees him again – is better than enduring two weeks of questions about why there’s no marriage or kids on the horizon. (China can be a deeply sexist society – women who are unmarried past the age of 30 are often referred to as “leftover women,” even in official media.) So the answer for many is to rent a young man to accompany the woman on her visit: For the equivalent of $65, Zhou Qihao will let a girl take him home. For an extra $3 or so an hour, he’ll let her take him to... Continue reading

Lifenews.com offers this sorry tidbit about NARAL's latest ad campaign: The pro-abortion group NARAL has just launched a bizarre new video that places abortion on the same moral plane as getting a haircut, picking a sweater, going for a jog or chewing gum—all, apparently, things that a woman can “choose to do with her body,” just like abortion. All this by way of introduction to their new “Choice Out Loud” campaign—or as they style it, “experience”—featuring various slogans about “choice” linked to professional photographs of models. It’s all very odd. Well, I find it less odd, and entirely consistent. It flows perfectly from the morally bankrupt generation that insisted on the "choice" to engage in uncommitted sterile sex. First, we have to acknowledge that it is the random coupling among the young that is as innocuous (in their minds) as hair colour and clothing choices. As long as that "right" is enshrined, then we shouldn't be surprised at what is promoted subsequently--in order to prop up that delusion. Arguing about "choice" can only be effective when we back up and explain that promiscuity is the problem, and that sexual intimacy is laden with meaning and morality. And arguing about that... Continue reading

This story is difficult to read, and reminds us of the difficult decisions that every family has to make -- decisions that we can only weep over years later: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother warned against sending the Prince of Wales to boarding school in Scotland because she thought he would be miserable, according to a collection of her previously unpublished letters. Despite the Queen Mother’s pleas, the Duke of Edinburgh ruled that his eldest son would attend his alma mater, located in rugged countryside near Elgin. But her concerns proved accurate after the prince described the inter-denominational school as “Colditz in kilts.” His father's reason was that if Charleys went to Eton (so close to London) he would be hounded by the press -- and we do know what the press is capable of in making one's life unpleasant. But the isolation of the school chosen for Charles was only part of his future suffering: He thought Charles would thrive at Gordonstoun because his eldest son loved Scotland, the author said. But, unlike his father, the young prince did not enjoy the Spartan regime, which included cold showers, physical punishment and morning runs all year round. In a letter... Continue reading

Responding to the decision to allow women to try for front line positions is no easy matter, because it is the result of a confluence of a long list of deplorable events and wrong-thinking. Thus, I am outlining my thoughts in a series of articles, the first of which can be found here. Simultaneously, I'd like to offer some links to important commentary. First, the most important voice is that of a woman who was highly qualified--the epitome of female training and readiness, Captain Katie Petronio: As a young lieutenant, I fit the mold of a female who would have had a shot at completing IOC, and I am sure there was a time in my life where I would have volunteered to be an infantryman. I was a star ice hockey player at Bowdoin College, a small elite college in Maine, with a major in government and law. At 5 feet 3 inches I was squatting 200 pounds and benching 145 pounds when I graduated in 2007. I completed Officer Candidates School (OCS) ranked 4 of 52 candidates, graduated 48 of 261 from TBS, and finished second at MOS school. I also repeatedly scored far above average in all... Continue reading

Whatever you've heard of Kathmandu, it was probably exotic and mysterious, but be assured that children there are like kids everywhere. Only, there's horrific poverty -- over half the country lives below UNICEF's poverty line. Interestingly, many who are sentenced to jail for criminal activity simply take their dependent children with them, if there's no one else to care for them. And, like everywhere else in the world, there are good souls who see a need and feel compelled to help. [Pushpa] Basnet was just 21 when she discovered her calling, she said. While her family ran a successful business, she was studying social work in college. As part of her studies, she visited a women's prison and was appalled by the dire conditions. She also was shocked to discover children living behind bars. One baby girl grabbed Basnet's shawl and gave her a big smile. "I felt she was calling me," Basnet said. "I went back home and told my parents about it. They told me it was a normal thing and that in a couple of days I'd forget it. But I couldn't forget." Basnet decided to start a day care to get incarcerated children out from behind... Continue reading

Had a nice chat with Wendy Wiese of Relevant Radio this afternoon. The archived conversation can be found here. For more on the book or how to set up a forgiveness conference for the women in your area, kindly go here. This Year of Faith would be a great time to knock down obstacles to God and to free yourselves to love without fear. It's worth it, I promise! Continue reading

From CatholicVote.org: My friends, All of you, I am sure, have heard so much about the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Many of you have received emails from me about my younger brother, Father Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. He, and his pastor, Monsignor Weiss, arrived at the school within moments of the shooting, and have been caring for the community ever since. The picture I have included was taken at the school. Father Luke has an impossible task before him. His diocese is without a bishop right now…. Monsignor … is personally devastated by the losses. The parish is very large…. The rectory has received serious threats, and as my brother gave the homily Sunday at the noon mass, the church had to be evacuated by SWAT teams. After experiencing identity theft and online hacking incidents, he had to erase all of his internet accounts. After a weekend of endless media requests, notifications and vigils with heartbroken families, and little sleep, he now has two wakes and two funerals every day, until the fourth Sunday of Advent. Father Luke has not even... Continue reading

Pope Benedict's Wednesday Audience was especially profound today, as applied to the challenges of everyday life, but also when tackling the tragedies that spring up in our midst: As part of our catechesis for this Year of Faith, it is fitting, during these last days of Advent, to consider the faith of Mary, the Virgin Mother of Christ. At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel greets Mary with an invitation to rejoice because the Lord is with her. This joy is that of the messianic hope of God’s people, the daughter of Zion, now being fulfilled in her. It is also the fruit of the grace which fills Mary’s heart and shapes her obedience to God’s word. Mary’s faith, like that of Abraham, combines complete trust in the Lord’s promises with a certain “unknowing.” In her life Mary knew, as we do, that God’s will can seem at times obscure and far from our expectations; it involves embracing the mystery of the Cross. Mary--like Abraham (her father in faith)--was faced with incomprehensible events. They were not only out of the ordinary, but seemed at face value to contradict what each already knew about God. Their daily communion with God through prayer... Continue reading

Will be on Live Hour shortly (8-9am EST). Will look for link later if you miss it. UPDATE: What an amazing conversation -- two wonderful fellows with a wicked sense of humour, and living very real lives of faith. The link is here. Ladies, do consider booking a healing conference in the coming year -- it will clear your decks and transform your heart so that you can be the beautiful icon of Holy Mother Church that you were called to be! Continue reading